Shoulder the weight of the world — Gottlieb’s Atlas is an electromechanical two-player wrapped in a mythology theme drawn from the Greek titan, and it comes from the legendary team of designer Wayne Neyens and artist Roy Parker, one of the most beloved creative partnerships of pinball’s golden woodrail age. With reel scoring and a scarce confirmed run of just 950, it’s a handsome and uncommon early Gottlieb.
The layout is a busy, feature-rich spread with a distinctive helping of hardware: a generous four flippers, two pop bumpers, a pair of slingshots, two gobble holes, two rollunders, two standup targets, and a roto-target. Those two gobble holes are a hallmark of the era’s bold design philosophy — the daring, high-risk features that swallow the ball for an award — while the roto-target, that spinning drum target, adds unique mechanical variety. The four flippers open up extra attacking angles, and the rollunders and standups give clear objectives to work through, all in service of the mythological theme. It’s an engaging, varied design that rewards a player willing to brave the gobble holes for their prizes.
Atlas is a lovely showcase of the celebrated Neyens-and-Parker team’s craft, pairing a grand mythological theme with a satisfying, feature-rich layout and Parker’s warm artwork. With only 950 built, it’s a scarce find, and the Greek-titan theme gave Parker’s illustration an epic, classical canvas. For the collector who loves the golden age of EM pinball and its greatest creative teams, it’s a rewarding find. Brave those gobble holes, work the roto-target, and shoulder the weight of the world. Some machines are treasured for their rarity and their legendary makers alike, and this Gottlieb mythology gem is one of them. Hold up the heavens and drop a coin.